William davis napier



' (Ne Model.)

W. D. NAPIER.

TONGUB SUPPORT.

vweu l'oz NITED STATES ATENT WILLIAM DAVS NAPER, OF MOUNTAIN HOME, ARKANSAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO TlIOMAS J. FERRY, OF SAME PLACE.

TONGUE-SUPPORI.

SPECIFICTION forming part of Letters Patent No. 394,932, dated Daeamber 18, 1888.

Application filed August 21, 1838. Serial No. 283.310. (No model.)

T0 all w7o0m it may co7wern:

l3e it known that I, WILLIAM DAVIS NA- gaged by one of the, dopending or loose links FIER, a eitizen of the United States, residing at Mountain Home, in the county of Baxter and State of Arkansas, have invented a new and useful Improvement in longue-Support ors, of whieh the following is a speeifieation.

The ob jeet of my invention is to provide a simple, eheap, and durable tongue-spporter so eonstrueted and arranged as to aeeo1nplish the desired purpose without straining or unnecessarilywearing any of the parts of the vehiole; and it consists in a certain novel construction and arrangement of devices, fully set forth hereinafter in connection with the aoeompanying drawings, and speeifieally pointed out in the appended elai1n.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a wagon -bed with the improved tongue-snpporter aDplied thereto in the operative position. Fig. 2 is a detail view of the slidin plate, nlnoh is arranged on tl1eholster.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A designates the front bolster, B designates the eoupling or reael1, and (3 the tongue, all C011- struoted and arranged in the ordinary and well-known n1ann er.

D ropresonts a sliding plate, whioh is a1.- rangod on the upper side of the bolster, and is held in place thereon by the king-bolt E, whieh passes throngh a longitudinal slot or opening, (I, in the plate, and the front and rear ends of this plate are extended beyond the respective sides of the bolster, and are turned down sligl1tly and provided with apertures (Z (Z.

F represents a strong1netallic coiled spring, and G G represent wire loops, whieh extend in opposite directions tlnrough the spring and terminate at their free ends in small hooks g g, Whiel1 bear, respeetively, against opposite ends of the spring, tl1o olosed ends of the loops proj eoting slightly beyond opposite ends of the spring. The end of the loop G is conneeted by a suitable link, H, with the front end of the slidin plate, and to the loop G is attaehed the rear end of the ehain I, whieh is provided near its front end with a series of depending or loose links or rings, K.

L designates a stationary plate, which is seeured by means of serews or bolts Z Z to the tongue just in front of the whifiletree, and

the rear end of this plate is provided with an 1mturned lrook, L, WlllCll is adapted to'be enor rings K.

M represents a stationary plate, whiel1is seeured by sorexvs or bolts m on to the connection or reaeh, and it is provided at its front end witli an upturned hook, M, whieh is adapted to be engaged by the rear end of the ehain N, the front end of whieh is attached to the rear end of the sliding plate.

The advantage in providing the el1ain N, WlllCll extends rearward from the bolster, is that the strain on the supporter is tl1us prevented fro1n twisting or straining the bolster, and,further, the rear ends of the hounds are thereby prevented trorn bearing against and wearing the under side of the coupling or reael1. .Further, by allowing the plate whieh is seeured to the bolster a sliding move ment forward and baekward any sudden strain on the rear axle, caused bytl1e rear wheels running into a depression in the road, Will not strain tl1e elrain N and the rear plate, M.

Having thus deseribed n1y invention, I claim As an improved article of manufacture, the tongue-supporter eomprising a plate, D, provided nitl1 downwardly-turned front and rear ends, and having a longitudinal slot, (Z, adapted to slide on the kingbolt of a vehiele, the spring F, connected to the front end of the plate and having theloops vr extending in opposite directions therethrough, the. hooked plate L, adapted to be seeured to the tongue, and the l1ooked plate M, adapted to be seoured to the reael1 or perch, the flexible drain I, attaehed to the end of the loop G at the front end of the spring and provided at intervals with rin K, to engage the hooks on the plate L, and the el1ain N, attached to the rear end of the plate 1), and provided at its rear end With a ring engaging the hook on the plate llI, all eonstrueted and arrztnged substantially as speeified.

In testimony that I elai1n the foregoing as my own I have hereto atfixed 111 y signature in presenee of two witnesses.

WILLIAM DAVS NAPIER.

\Vitnessesz T. J. FERRY, J. S. SIMONS. 

